I wasn’t sure the jump to an expensive, 24-hour ice-keeping machine was worth it but boy was I wrong. I knew the hype that you could have your beverages stay cold for 24-hours and not need to replenish the ice, but I wasn’t sure I believed it. After all, wasn’t the cooler my husband and I bought when we were first married still sufficient for keeping drinks cold?
The new 20 Qt. Orca Cooler is cute and sassy with an impressively whitest of white exterior accented by its novel navy blue whale tale rubber closures for the lid. I was anxious for the outdoor picnic season to begin so I could truly test this cooler’s capabilities. I loaded it up on Friday afternoon with ice and beverages for my grandson’s birthday party and loaded it in the car. To my sheer surprise, it held the ice and beverages cold through Sunday afternoon! Impressive for sure. We were in and out of the cooler throughout the day Saturday and the ice still held. And, it was so durable, it served as an extra chair with no risk of denting damage.
For $199 retail, I had a lot of expectations for the Orca cooler. I love that it comes in no less than 12 colors and can be customized with a corporate logo or whatever you choose for an extra fee. I also appreciate the cooler’s front side, snap-attached “extras” mesh pouch. The bonus pouch was a bit small to hold extra non-cooler essential food, but it easily holds an array of plastic silverware or some coveted ketchup packets. If your picnic needs include toting full-sized bags of chips or condiment containers, you will still need to toss those into the cooler or carry them in an extra bag.
Although this cute and sassy cooler truly outshines others for its cooling power, overall durability, and coolness factor, this super cool cooler needs wheels. The Orca starts out empty at just over 16 pounds so when I added in the drinks and ice, I truly wished I had put it into my car empty and then loaded in the goodies. Carrying this baby out of the kitchen and into the driveway was quite a job for me. Perhaps I truly am the wimp that my family has accused me of being, but a wheeled option would significantly improve this amazing cooler for my taste. Happy picnic season to you and your family, and seriously consider upgrading the cooler you got as a wedding gift to this amazing new super cooling technology… it’s worth it.
